Curb boxes are covered boxes that are conventionally located at ground level and extend downward to an underground bottom portion. Generally, utility valves, such as a natural gas valves and the like, are situated at the bottom of the curb boxes. As will be appreciated, the valves are used to start or stop delivery of a utility to a structure. To prevent unauthorized access to such valves, locks are often employed. Known locks, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,871,030, are placed into an uncovered curb box directly above the valve. Such locks employ, among other components, a body, a cone-shaped tip, a shaft with a terminal foot, an upper collar, and claws which extend and grab an interior surface of the curb box upon an unauthorized removal attempt.
With known locks, however, the claws are typically deployed with force only when one attempts to remove the lock by pulling upward on the upper collar. Upward movement of the collar relative to the body causes the claws to cam outward to forcefully engage the box interior. Conversely, authorized removal is accomplished through a specialized tool with an internal recess configured to receive the cone-shaped tip. The lock is then extracted from the box via engagement of the tool and the tip.
While the above-described locks are quite effective in securing curb boxes, it is desirable to have a curb box lock that includes the additional security of permanently deployed claws which engage an inner surface of a box with significant force, at all times when the lock is in use, to thwart removal from relatively shallow and wide curb boxes. Moreover, it is desirable to have a curb box lock with fewer components providing ease of manufacture.
With the forgoing concerns in mind, it is the general object of the present invention to provide an improved curb box lock with fewer structural components and improved security features for boxes of relatively shallow depth and substantial width. In particular, it is the general object of the present invention to provide a simplified curb box lock that includes claws which can be selectively activated via a specialized tool upon placement of the lock in the box to permanently engage a box interior while in use thereby preventing removal.